Who we support

We support anyone who has been impacted by suicide at any stage in their life, including:

Individuals, families and friends

Witnesses

Schools, workplaces and community groups

First responders and service providers

If you are currently having suicidal thoughts, please seek immediate assistance by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you or someone you are with is in need of immediate support please call an ambulance or Police on 000.

What we do

We provide free face-to-face and telephone support at a time and place that is best for you

The service is accessible 24/7, providing direct and coordinated support from local services and groups in your area

We offer expertise, understanding and resources for your particular situation

Follow up contact is continued for up to 1 year to ensure you are not alone and receive any ongoing support you may need

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Evidence Based Support

Independently evaluated and proven to help reduce suicide ideation and improve mental health outcomes for those bereaved or impacted by suicide.Read more…

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Community Support

By building capacity and connections within communities, we help to improve the social connectedness and support available to anyone impacted by a suicide.

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Mission

For all Australians to have access to StandBy and receive the support, community respect and understanding they need after a suicide.

Find Support

StandBy provides support services all around Australia.Click on the map or name of region below to find support in your area.

Anyone who has witnessed a suicide can experience stress and trauma, read about how you may be affected and ways to help you cope and recover.

About Us

StandBy – Support after Suicide is a program of United Synergies, established in 2002 to meet the need for a coordinated community response to suicide. StandBy is now recognised as Australia’s leading suicide postvention program dedicated to assisting people and communities impacted by suicide.

In a recent independent evaluation of the program found that StandBy’s Support After Suicide service helps to significantly lower the risk of suicidality, mental health concerns, and social isolation following a loss of a loved one. Read more…

In Australia, more than 2,800 people take their own life each year. Research indicates that for every death through suicide 135 people are impacted and ten or more are significantly affected. StandBy provides free telephone or face-to-face support by local caring staff, committed to the wellbeing of the person or group affected. The program provides a central point of coordination, connecting people to the various supports they may need through referrals to services, groups and organisations within their local area.

StandBy operates nationally by partnering with local organisations, engaging their expertise within the community to deliver the most effective and culturally suitable support for each individual circumstance. Locally tailored community workshops and education programs are provided to increase awareness of suicide and suicide bereavement to help enable communities to support one another.

We promote respect, equality and the inclusion of all members of the community. We value the experiences and courage of people bereaved or impacted by suicide, and the willingness of local communities to support them. May we all work together towards a shared vision of hope and unity.

Support

We support individuals, families, friends, witnesses, schools, workplaces, frontline responders, communities and service providers who have been bereaved by or impacted by suicide.

Contactable

We offer telephone or face-to-face support, at a time and place that is best for you. Follow up calls are continued for up to 12 months. There is no charge for this service.

Info + Links

Depending on need, we are able to arrange follow-on support from existing local services and groups, or simply provides information and links to other available services.

Community

StandBy works with the community to deliver workshops and education programs to encourage and enable increased knowledge and awareness of suicide and suicide bereavement.

Your Stories

My life changed dramatically the day my youngest daughter Shelley took her own life. 7th December 2015. The date is scorched into my brain. I am now 2 years down the track from that awful, soul destroying day. But I couldn’t have done it without some help.

The amazing people from StandBy came to visit my family & I in the very early days. Our minds were muddled and confused. What to do first? Where to turn? The beautiful ladies arrived armed with Teddy Bears, comfort and knowledge. They guided us through each step with compassion and understanding. They knew our hurt and helped us progress through the next couple of weeks. They suggested we attend a monthly support group that was close to our home.

As I’m sure you can imagine. None of us were feeling remotely social. But let me tell you now. We walked around the corner of the building, to find 20 pairs of eyes looking at us. Kind eyes. Sad eyes. Knowledgeable eyes. This amazing group of people knew just how I felt without me even speaking. I cried for the first year at each meeting. But I have learned so many coping tools through listening to others stories. I have gained strength from the compassion given to me by other people with the same experiences. And I can proudly say, that 2 years on. I too can now offer a shoulder to lean on. An ear to listen with. Arms to give hugs with and experiences to learn from. I am now part of that group with their kind, sad & all knowing eyes. They saved my sanity when I thought I would never ever gain clarity in my thoughts again.

On the cloudiest of days in our lives there is always a silver lining. Trust me.

Karen from Sunshine Coast Qld

2018-01-31T01:48:20+00:00

Karen from Sunshine Coast Qld

My life changed dramatically the day my youngest daughter Shelley took her own life. 7th December 2015. The date is scorched into my brain. I am now 2 years down the track from that awful, soul destroying day. But I couldn’t have done it without some help. The amazing people from StandBy came to visit my family & I in the very early days. Our minds were muddled and confused. What to do first? Where to turn? The beautiful ladies arrived armed with Teddy Bears, comfort and knowledge. They guided us through each step with compassion and understanding. They knew our hurt and helped us progress through the next couple of weeks. They suggested we attend a monthly support group that was close to our home. As I’m sure you can imagine. None of us were feeling remotely social. But let me tell you now. We walked around the corner of the building, to find 20 pairs of eyes looking at us. Kind eyes. Sad eyes. Knowledgeable eyes. This amazing group of people knew just how I felt without me even speaking. I cried for the first year at each meeting. But I have learned so many coping tools through listening to others stories. I have gained strength from the compassion given to me by other people with the same experiences. And I can proudly say, that 2 years on. I too can now offer a shoulder to lean on. An ear to listen with. Arms to give hugs with and experiences to learn from. I am now part of that group with their kind, sad & all knowing eyes. They saved my sanity when I thought I would never ever gain clarity in my thoughts again. On the cloudiest of days in our lives there is always a silver...

http://standbysupport.com.au/testimonials/828/

After the deaths by suicide of our youngest daughter Angela and our only son Stuart just one month apart I was understandably devastated. If felt that I was the only mother to have lost two children to suicide and spent countless hours questioning where we had gone wrong. I knew that if I had to live through this experience, I would need to learn from it. I spent many sessions in counselling and put in hours of very hard work making some sense of our tragedy.

After a few years, I realized that others could learn from my experience too. I began to advocate for others, and spoke at forums and information sessions about suicide prevention.

I find this work very rewarding and see it as a way to honour both Angela and Stuart.

Alannah from Victoria

2018-01-31T01:37:36+00:00

Alannah from Victoria

After the deaths by suicide of our youngest daughter Angela and our only son Stuart just one month apart I was understandably devastated. If felt that I was the only mother to have lost two children to suicide and spent countless hours questioning where we had gone wrong. I knew that if I had to live through this experience, I would need to learn from it. I spent many sessions in counselling and put in hours of very hard work making some sense of our tragedy. After a few years, I realized that others could learn from my experience too. I began to advocate for others, and spoke at forums and information sessions about suicide prevention. I find this work very rewarding and see it as a way to honour both Angela and Stuart.

http://standbysupport.com.au/testimonials/826/

It is important to keep things a normal as possible for children, particularly routines and expectations. Children need predictability and boundaries. These should be adhered to as much as possible to create a secure environment within the uncertainty and chaos.

Judith from South Australia

2018-01-16T05:49:53+00:00

Judith from South Australia

It is important to keep things a normal as possible for children, particularly routines and expectations. Children need predictability and boundaries. These should be adhered to as much as possible to create a secure environment within the uncertainty and chaos.

http://standbysupport.com.au/testimonials/example-testimonial-1/

At the time when I lost my husband, StandBy wasn’t available to me. Now that I’ve learned about your service and what you can offer to a bereaved family I feel like that kind of service would have been exactly what I would have needed at the time. We were all so lost and confused and didn’t know where to start looking for answers. I now promote StandBy as much as possible so others can get the support that I would have benefitted from.

Anonymous from ACT

2018-01-16T13:33:55+00:00

Anonymous from ACT

At the time when I lost my husband, StandBy wasn’t available to me. Now that I’ve learned about your service and what you can offer to a bereaved family I feel like that kind of service would have been exactly what I would have needed at the time. We were all so lost and confused and didn’t know where to start looking for answers. I now promote StandBy as much as possible so others can get the support that I would have benefitted from.

http://standbysupport.com.au/testimonials/example-testimonial-2/

Support Us

Your Support Will Make a Difference

Volunteer

If you live within a StandBy site you could assist by voluntarily helping with

Events StandBy is hosting

Practical needs of others impacted by suicide

Telling others you know about what StandBy does

Please ring your closest StandBy site to speak with the Coordinator about possibilities.

If you live in other areas you may like to assist by

Providing quotes and tips we can use in resources, training and the media

Providing feedback on information we have developed and our service to help us improve

Please ring 0429 147 491 to speak with a member of our National StandBy Team about possibilities.

Donate

In Memoria
A thoughtful way to pay tribute to the life of a loved one or friend is to provide a donation that StandBy can use to help others impacted by suicide. This could include leaving a gift in your will. Your generosity will help us support others at such a tragic time in their lives.

Contact Us

For general enquiries please use the contact form below. For support, contact your local support site here.

Name

Email Address

Message

StandBy acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live. We recognise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and their continuing connection to land and water. We pay respects to Elders past, present and future.

In partnership with National StandBy Support after Suicide, MATES StandBy is an industry based postvention response service, supporting building and construction industry workers and their immediate family members, designed to address the impact of a suicide as connected to a workplace community, with an aim to prevent further harm or loss of life. Postvention includes providing bereavement support to those impacted by a suicide OR by a suicide attempt. Services are individualised to ensure needs are met appropriately and in a timely way.
MATES StandBy can be contacted through 24/7 freecall number 1300 MIC 111 (1300 642 111). www.matesinconstruction.org.au

This area does not currently have a StandBy service however support may be available with consideration to individual/community needs. Email StandBy on standbynational@unitedsynergies.com.au to determine consideration. Support is also available through the following 24/7 crisis support organisations:

GriefLinkwww.grieflink.asn.au
Information on death related grief for the community and professionals. Includes coping with grief, helping the bereaved, resources and education.

Kids Help Linewww.kidshelpline.com.au
Website to help young Australian’s to express themselves, build confidence and live safely. Kids can chat with our qualified counsellors FREE and we speak with 1000’s of young people every month.

MensLine www.mensline.org.au
MensLine Australia is a professional telephone and online support and information service for Australian men.

Qlife (LGBTI) Counselling Service www.qlife.org.au
QLife is Australia’s first nationally-oriented counselling and referral service for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or intersex (LGBTI). QLife provides nation-wide, early intervention, peer supported telephone and web based services to people of all ages across the full breadth of people’s bodies, genders, relationships, sexualities, and lived experiences.

Reach Outwww.reachout.com.au
ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people, providing practical support to help them get through everything from everyday issues to tough times.

Carers Australiawww.carersaustralia.com.au
Carers provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged.

Relationships Australia www.relationships.org.au
Relationships Australia is a leading provider of relationship support services for individuals, families and communities.

StandBy Country SA is currently delivered through Uniting Communities in partnership with Centacare SA with a Coordinator based in Mt Gambier and Port Lincoln and StandBy team members throughout the Country SA region.

StandBy North Coast is delivered in partnership with Social Futures, with its Coordinator and Outreach Worker based in Coffs Harbour. There is a pool of a casual StandBy team members residing throughout the region. http://socialfutures.org.au

StandBy Brisbane North and South is delivered in partnership with UnitingCare Queensland, with its Coordinator and two Team Leaders based in Toombul, with a pool of a casual StandBy team members residing throughout the region. http://unitingcareqld.com.au

Download the StandBy Brisbane North and South Information Flyer: DOWNLOAD

StandBy Murray is delivered in partnership with Lifeline Central Victoria and Mallee. The Coordinator is based in Central Victoria and there is a pool of casual StandBy team members residing throughout the region. http://www.lifelinecvm.org.au

StandBy Central Qld, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast is delivered in partnership with United Synergies, with its Coordinator based in Rockhampton and team leaders based in Maroochydore, Bundaberg and Emerald. There is a pool of a casual StandBy team members residing throughout the region. http://www.unitedsynergies.com.au

StandBy Northern Queensland is delivered in partnership with UnitingCare Queensland, with offices in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay and a casual StandBy team residing throughout the region http://unitingcareqld.com.au

StandBy Tasmania is delivered in partnership with Lifeline Tasmania, with its Coordinator and Team Leader based in Hobart and another Team Leader based in the far North West. There is a pool of a casual StandBy team members residing throughout the region. https://www.lifeline.org.au/